By Amaya Arellano
In response to the global pandemic Albuquerque Public Schools put a hold on sports and any gatherings that went along with them in March. They reopened briefly in June, only to close again. Now, as they resume once more, safety regulations are in place so students and staff are given the opportunity to stay involved with their activities and peers while remaining healthy and safe.
Eldorado’s cross country team is one of the first sports to begin meeting again, starting official practices Oct. 5.
Senior Laurynn Sisenros acknowledges the determination her fellow runners need to have, along with the many new challenges they’re all facing.
“It’s definitely harder -- but I’d rather do this than have no season at all,” Sisneros said.
All runners are required to wear masks and run in significantly smaller groups than previous years. The “pods” they run in by time, to ensure groups are spaced out throughout meets and practices. For example, if one group was to leave at 7 a.m., another one would leave around 7:15 a.m.
Eldorado coach Chokri Dhaouadi said he’s very happy they’re allowed to practice at all and encourages all his runners to remain optimistic and sociable.
“If you talk about the pandemic all the time, you’ll never move forward. For us we have the cross country season,” Dhaouadi said. “The kids are looking so good and having so much fun. We can’t get distracted from that, we have to always keep pushing.”
The first meet of the season is scheduled for Oct. 17 at Nusenda Stadium. The NMAA state championships will be Dec. 4-5 at Rio Rancho High School.